Originally Posted by
gnaget
You are not going to save money by doing this.
You are essentially traveling Kyushu to Hakodate for the cost of a 7 day JR pass. In green car it appears to cost nearly USD 400 per person. Traveling around Hokkaido is not going to cost you very much by train and I would strongly suggest driving on Hokkaido.
I suggest flying to Hakodate (or Chitose) and getting a rental car or taking trains on Hokkaido.
I am glad you and others have said this. I was - as a relative novice in Japan - afraid to. But it sounds like the rail trip from he** to me. The OP's parents - who seem to be traveling with him - are probably about my age (late 60's) or younger - and I don't reckon it will be great fun for them either.
Also - this is pretty much a 2 week trip. I don't know how light or heavy OP and folks will pack - but carrying large luggage on Japanese trains isn't my idea of a swell time.
And FWIW to OP - my husband and I are close to 70. Flying from where we live to Asia is no big deal for us. Except in terms of jet lag. But train stations in Japan are something else (no people in golf carts who pick us up at gates and get us to other terminals). They're much more geared to younger people - especially people traveling on business best I've observed. They're certainly not impossible or super difficult - but 10 minute connections for us older folk - forget about it. Robyn